Fuel Prices Now!!!!!
 

Hi..... I was just wondering what everbody is paying for a gallon of Airplane 15% nitro these days. In particular Bryon's and Cool Power (Omega). Last August I panicked and bought a case of Cool Power Omega from Tower and with the Haz-Mat fee and shipping it came to about $33.00 a gallon. Last Monday I was in Prescott, AZ which is 55 miles from my home and picked up 2 gallons of Byron's 15% at $17.99 each plus tax........ Sound right?????

Thanks

RE: Fuel Prices Now!!!!!
 

I just paid $17.00 for a gallon of Model Master 10 per cent at my local hobby shop. This is up $2.00 from my last purchase which was just before the nitro plant shutdown in China. Oh well, gotta have it. Good Luck, Dave

RE: Fuel Prices Now!!!!!
 

I just paid 24.99 for cool power omega 10% . About 3 weeks ago I could get if for 19.99.

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I pay $16.99 a gallon for Cool Power 15%.

Ken

RE: Fuel Prices Now!!!!!
 

I can understand a couple of dollars difference in price from here to there, but what makes the $10 difference per gal. in just a couple of hundred miles? I used to pay $15-17 depending on the specific store, now they're getting $25 here.

RE: Fuel Prices Now!!!!!
 

Some shops just mark it up more, or don't buy in bulk as much as others.

RE: Fuel Prices Now!!!!!
 

Omega 10% $17.99

RE: Fuel Prices Now!!!!!
 

Power Master 15% is on sale this week at Hobby People for 17 bucks A jug.

RE: Fuel Prices Now!!!!!
 

15% Cool Power 17.99 a gallon - was buying a home brew of 10% nitro and 18% syn oil for 12.00 a gallon before the China nitro plant shut down.

RE: Fuel Prices Now!!!!!
 

In northern Fla about 3 weeks ago...Omega 15% $19.00.....

RE: Fuel Prices Now!!!!!
 

One question is when the Nitro is back into full production and being imported back into the US at that rate it once was (if it ever hits that rate again), will the price go back down or will they just keep the price where it is since we are getting used to what we are currently paying for it?

Hogflyer

RE: Fuel Prices Now!!!!!
 

They will probably look at it like this. Everyone is buying it at this price so why lower it and loose money, when we can keep the price up and make more money. I am slowly trying to make the transition to gas just because of the prices of nitro.

RE: Fuel Prices Now!!!!!
 

I bought my fuel for this year and next this past spring for $12.50/gal There were 4 cases. I hit it lucky on that one. Wildcat Super Premium 15%

RE: Fuel Prices Now!!!!!
 

Guys who fly gas engine always told me how much cheaper it was,and I never thought much of it. But now that I'm all about converting gas engines(weed wackers and chainsaws etc.),I'ver realized just how right they are. The engines are dirt cheap,and so is the gas! Its hard to realize how much money you waste in $20 a gallon nitro until you dont have to buy it anymore.

Estimate how many gallons you go through each year and multiply that times about $20. For some,thats alot of money. Now if you figure that times about $3 a gallon of regular gas........heck,some guys can have an extra plane or two a year!

And if your converting like me,and used to spend up to 400 bucks per engine and now spend less then 200 for a bigger engine........thats even more money to buy more stuff.

Buying Nitro fuel is for the birds anymore. I'll still always have it for some stuff,but REALLY try to stay away from it now.

RE: Fuel Prices Now!!!!!
 

my club orders in bulk we buy 2 barrels of 10% every other month or so,and the fuel comes out to about 10 a gallon,we just keep out old bottles and stoppers.we have it shipped to a club members place of buisness.

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I wish our club could order in bulk, but a few more members have gone ELECTRIC.......

RE: Fuel Prices Now!!!!!
 

I just bought the Power Master 15% tonight on sale at Hobby People for $17.00 A jug. When I got home tonight I sent Power Master the question Hogflyer just poster or something close anyway. Before last year I was buying it all the time for $15.00. If nitro is back in production, gas/fuel prices are down and there is A decline in the cost of shipping then how long to get the glow fuel prices down so those of us on A fixed income can still keep flying?? I will post the reply if I get an answer. I have been pulling out my gas engines again and setting up planes for them. I should be back into gas again in another week or so with my first gasser in A year or two. I have two more in the works. I enjoy my glow power but I can fly A long time on $2.00 bucks worth of gas and oil.

RE: Fuel Prices Now!!!!!
 

Agree with Jester. If more folks would convert to gas, the price for a gallon of glo would drop pretty quickly. But as long as your buying it at $20 plus a gallon, they have no motive to reduce the price. Go gas, you won't regret the switch!!!!

RE: Fuel Prices Now!!!!!
 

Yes, but then we wouldn't be able to enjoy the lower cost of nitro fuel! :D

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O.K. I'm all ears!....... Who makes a good gas engine and who sells them? Thanks

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Depends, what size? How much do you want to spend and what kind of customer seervice do you want? Just make sure it is an American Vendor, for the after sale service. There are more gas engine companies than there are glow. But keep in mind that htey don't make a gas engine for the average .40 or .60 size plane. When you get up into the 1.20 size planes is when you can make the switch. Take a look in the Gas Engine Forum here on RCU.

RE: Fuel Prices Now!!!!!
 

Thanks.... That helps a lot! I still in a 60 size planes and just considering a larger model. I'm probably a long way off from a 120 size!

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You make your own! Well,kinda....sure you can buy gas engines from a store,but its WAY cheaper to buy used weed wackers,leaf blowers,chainsaws etc and rip out the engine and convert it over to r/c use. These engines are almost the same as your store bought gas engines,but require some stuff(which is the hardest part) such as prop hubs,sometimes mufflers,and sometimes stand off engine mounts. But some of us,like me,make our own. As flaminheli said though,most guys dont put a "coverted" engine in a plane less then about 70",but it can be done for some planes. Its great though as it adds a whole new hobby to r/c flying. And compared to store boughts engines and the glow fuel...its dirt cheap,just requires some added skills. "Gas" engines seemed intimidating to me when I first got into this hobby,but their not too bad. And their MUCH more realiable then most glow engines.

rcu gas conversion engine forum.... http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/forumid_92/tt.htm

regular rcu gas engine forum.... http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/forumid_142/tt.htm

RE: Fuel Prices Now!!!!!
 

Zenoah makes one of the better first time gas engines, very user friendly and trouble free. Parts are easy to come by. After that there are gobs of cheap engines from China showing up. Then you can start going nuts with ZDZ, DA and other top brands. I have A Zenoah G-62 in one of my planes, A 30% Extra, should be all finished next week. I have the RC Showcase 1.40 22cc gas engine on A 120 size Kaos, that's next up in my, to do list. This little engine is good for any of the bigger 60 size planes and the last plane I had it in was A 73 inch Extra. Perfect IMAC flyer but not enough poop to do any 3-D in that plane. This little 22 cc engine has A lot more power then any other small gasser I have ever seen. Under my bench I also have an almost brand new Brison 2.4 40cc engine. I killed the plane it was in and haven't scratched out another one so it's just waiting for another scratch build, pretty much anything under 15 pounds and this engine is A hot mama. As A first time engine you just can't go wrong with A Zenoah but I have friends that fly nothing buy conversions. A small gasser in the Tower/GP giant Super Sportster is an outstanding first time gas powered plane. There are some small, light gas engines out there for the smaller planes in the 60 size.

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I seen a guy at the field with a big trainer with a weedeater engine. That thing was awsome. I wish I had messed with the throttle when i got to fly it;but I hadnt soloed and I didnt want to crash is big plane:D. It sounded powerful. I think it was a scratch built trainer it looked like to meit was the Spirit of St louis with diaherdal ( cant spell;)). If I get a big plane like that I think I will put a gas engine in it.

15% nitro 18% synth Wildcat about $30 in jul. and now it is about $21